Undergarment



March 16, 1943- FREDER|K$EN 2,313,992

UNDERGARMENT Filed Jan. 25, 1941 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR. a .ffavrzczniraienc/mam March 16, 1943. H; FREDERICKSEN UNDERGARMENT 2 Sheets-Sheet 2- Filed Jan. 25, 1941 MWW,

Patented Mar. 16, 1943 T OFFICE UNDERGARMENT Herman Fredericksen, Kenosha, Wis, assignor to Coopers, Incorporated, Kenosha, Wis., a corporation of Wisconsin Application January 25, 1941, Serial No. 375,917

(Cl. 128--l59) 3 Claims.

This invention relates to a new and improved undergarment and more particularly to lower garments or drawers for men.

The present invention relates to the construction at and adjacent the crotch portion of such garments, especially of garments made from knitted fabrics. Prior forms of garments of this general character made from knitted fabric have been developed. These utilize those characteristics of knit fabrics by which the material is only slightly extensible along the lines of the wales of the fabric, while it has considerable stretch available transversely of the wales. The garments have been made with a central crotch piece of adequate width and lateral stretchability in its forward portion to form a pouch and to give a definite supporting effect to the parts of the male wearer.

Typical of such prior art constructions are the examples illustrated in the Patents to Kneibler No. 2,012,879, Aug. 27, 1935, and No. 2,019,140, Oct. 29, 1935, which show legless undergarments having crotch portions of adequate width and lateral stretchability to form a supporting pouch, and which also show means in the leg opening seams for exerting an upward and outward pulling force on the edges of the crotch portion whereby the edges of the pouch so formed are firmly held against the crotch of the wearer in a position to confine the male parts.

Other prior art garments have been provided with supporting pouches by other means, and particularly in the case of garments having .legs such means have consisted of tucks or gathers for creating a fullness at the forward portion of the crotch.

Whereas the prior art types referred to will serve satisfactorily in use, it is now desirable to provide an additional form which employs a new means for constructing a supporting pouch as an integral part of the garment itself.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved undergarment having a construction affording the wearer a moderate confining and supporting effect.

It is a further object to provide an undergarment in which members are provided upon either side of the crotch piece, said members having a mild lateral confining and supporting effect.

It is an additional object to provide a garment composed of but few elements and adapted to commercial production.

It is also an object to provide a garment comfortable for the wearer, supporting without binding and without objectionable looseness, and allowing lateral stretch while preserving vertical support.

Other and further objects will appear as the description proceeds.

I have shown certain preferred embodiments of my invention in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a front view of struction;

Figure 2 is a vertical section taken from front to rear through the garment of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a view of the garment of Figures 1 and 2 as seen from above;

Figure 4 is a fragmentary section taken on line 4-4 of Figure 1;

Figure 5 is a View of the garment of Figure 1 as seen from the rear;

Figure 6 is a front view, partly broken away, showing a modified form of garment; and

Figure 7 is a partly broken away rear view of the garment of Figure 6.

Referring first to the form of construction shown in Figures 1 to 5, the garment comprises a belt I2 formed of material which is elastic and stretches circumferentially to conform to the waist of the wearer. This belt is substantially unstretchable vertically of the garment. The belt supports the garment, and the front pieces I3 and I 4, the two leg pieces I5 and I6 and the rear piece I! all have their upper edges sewed to the belt.

As shown in Figure 1, the wales of the front pieces preferably extend diagonally outwardly, approximately parallel to the groin seams I8 and 19 of the front of the garment. The meeting edges of the two front pieces 13 and H; are joined by a taped seam 29. The wales of the leg and back pieces extend substantially vertically. The wales of the crotch piece-2| extend lengthwise of the piece so that it is substantially inextensible lengthwise while it is elastically extensible laterally. As shown, the piece 2| is made from two thicknesses of material.

The legs I 5 and I6 have been shown short, with hems sewed back at 22 and 23, but it is to be understood that the present invention does not relate to the legs of the garment, which may be of any desired length.

The front of the garment is shown with the lower edg of the front piece I 4 secured to the adjacent edge of the crotch piece 2| by a taped seam which is a continuation of the center seam 20. The upper edge of the other side of crotch piece 2| is finished with an elastic tape at 25 and overlaps the finished lower edge of the front one form of conpiece l3 to form a fly opening, which is normally held smoothly fiat and closed by the elastic tape.

The garment is further provided with the lateral confining members 26 and 21 which serve with the crotch portion 2! to form a pocket or pouch for holding and supporting the parts of the male wearer. The members 25 and 21 afford lateral support and assist in the confining and supporting action of the garment. They also serve as a protection against chafing against the thighs. Because of these confining members, adequate support may be secured without tightness, it being unnecessary to pull the garment up so that the groin seams l8 and I9 fit up tightly into the groin creases of the body.

As best shown in Figure 4, these confining members 26 and 21 are formed by folded material, the fold forming the upper edge of the confining members and the double lower edges of the same being sewed into the groin seams of the garment. The members taper in depth toward their front and rear ends so that they have merely the doubled top edge which merges into the garment at each end of the wings.

The form of garment shown in Figures 6 and '7 is designed to function in the same general manner as that just described. The waist band, leg pieces and front and back pieces are of the same size and shape as those of the form of Figures 1 t 5, inclusive. The front and rear portions of the crotch piece 30 are identical in form with the crotch piece 2| of the first form or construction. The intermediate portion 3% of the crotch piece 3:) is only slightly less in width than the similar portion of the crotch piece 2i. The latand 33 have one edge of each sewed to the adjacent leg portion in the groin seams 3d and 35, while their arcuate inner edges are sewed at 36 and 31 to the portion 3| of the crotch piece 38. The lateral members do not merely replace cut away portions of the crotch member. As previously stated, the crotch member in this form of garment is substantially the same width at this point as the crotch member of the form shown in Figures 1 to 5, inclusive. The lateral members provide additional width at this point and the crotch member 39 is slightly longer at this section to join the longer inner edges of the wing members. Consequently the crotch and lateral members together form a pouch to provide a mild lateral and longitudinal support for the wearer.

The two forms of construction shown are generally similar in that they both provide lateral support and each is provided with separate members for that purpose. The first form of construction provides internal confining members which are additional to the garment itself. The second form includes the lateral members as side elements connecting portions of the leg and crotch members. In both forms these members join with the crotch member to provide both longitudinal and lateral support.

While I have shown certain preferred embodiments of my invention, these are to be understood to be illustrative only and I contemplate such modifications as come within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

eral members 32 What is claimed is:

1. A pair of mens drawers made of knitted material comprising a waist band, front and rear pieces having their upper edges secured to the waist band, leg pieces secured to the front and rear pieces and to the waist band, said pieces having their wales extending approximately vertically to the waist band, a crotch piece connecting the front, back and leg pieces, said crotch piece having the wales running through the crotch of the garment and approximately vertically to join the front and back pieces, and lateral confining members connected to the abutting edges of the crotch piece and leg pieces at the lower forward portion of the crotch, said lateral confining members with the adjacent portion of the crotch piece forming a transversely resilient pouch to snugly fit the anatomy in conforming relation thereto.

2. A pair of mens drawers made of knitted material comprising an elastic waist band, a rear piece, a pair of front pieces, a pair of leg pieces, a crotch piece and a pair of lateral confining members, the leg pieces having their wales extending substantially vertically, the leg pieces joined to the outer edges of the front pieces along seams substantially following the groin lines of the wearer, the wales of the front pieces being approximately parallel to said seams, the crotch piece being joined to the front, back and leg pieces and having its wales extending substantially from front to rear of the garment, the lateral confining members being of greatest width at portions intermediate their length and tapering to their ends, said members being connected to the lateral edge of the crotch piece and to the abutting leg pieces at the lower front portion and underneath portion of the crotch piece and serving with the crotch piece to form a pouch snugly fitting the anatomy and resiliently conforming thereto.

3. A pair of mens drawers made of knitted material comprising an elastic waist band, a rear piece, a pair of front pieces, a pair of leg pieces, a crotch piece and a pair of lateral confining pieces, the leg members having their wales extending substantially vertically, the leg pieces joined to the outer edges of the front pieces along seams substantially following the groin lines of the wearer, the wales of the front pieces being approximately parallel to said seams, the crotch piece being joined to the front, back and leg pieces and having its wales extending substantially from front to rear of the garment, the lateral confining members being of greatest Width at portions intermediate their length and tapering to their ends, each of said members being formed of material folded upon itself with the rounded fold projecting up within the body of the garment and the edges of each member secured together in a groin seam of the garment at the lower front and intermediate portions of the garment to form with the portion of the crotch piece between them a pouch to snugly fit the anatomy in resilient relation thereto.

HERMAN FREDERICKSEN. 

